Staff Report / June 22, 2026
ALBANY – A sweeping revision of New York’s family law statutes is headed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk after receiving final approval from state lawmakers. Senate Bill S9316 would replace longstanding references to “paternity” with the broader term “parentage” throughout numerous sections of state law governing child support, custody, visitation, adoption, assisted reproduction, and Family Court proceedings. Supporters of the measure say the legislation modernizes state law to reflect the changing makeup of families across New York while ensuring all legal parents are treated consistently under the law.
Among the most significant changes included in the legislation is the replacement of paternity proceedings with parentage proceedings in Family Court. Under the proposal, references to terms such as “father,” “putative father,” and “order of filiation” would be updated to “parent,” “alleged parent,” and “order of parentage.” The bill also establishes new legal definitions for terms including “parent,” “parentage,” “alleged parent,” and “spouse” while revising statutes that currently assume every parentage dispute involves a mother and father.
Key provisions of the legislation include:
- Replacing references to “paternity” with “parentage” in state law.
- Converting paternity proceedings in Family Court into parentage proceedings.
- Updating legal terminology related to custody, child support, and visitation cases.
- Expanding statutory definitions to recognize a broader range of legal parent-child relationships.
- Incorporating terminology related to assisted reproduction and intended parents.
- Updating provisions in the Domestic Relations Law, Judiciary Law, Social Services Law, Education Law, and other sections of state law.
- Maintaining existing legal procedures for DNA testing, child support enforcement, and custody determinations.
Although the legislation makes extensive terminology changes, many of the legal standards and court procedures currently in place would remain unchanged. Family Court judges would continue to have authority to order genetic testing in disputed cases, establish support obligations, issue custody and visitation orders, and enforce child support judgments. If signed by Hochul, the bill would represent one of the most comprehensive updates to New York’s family law language in recent decades. The governor has not yet indicated whether she intends to sign the measure.
